Systems and methods for control of polymer reactions and processing using automatic continuous online monitoring

Abstract

Manual and automatic methods and devices using a ACOMP system for active control of polymerization reaction processes. An ideal desired trajectory of one or more reaction and polymer characteristics can be established to produce a desired final polymer product with specified characteristics from a polymerization reaction process. A current reaction trajectory of a polymerization reaction process can be driven to an ideal or desired reaction trajectory. In a manual embodiment an operator can use ACOMP data to adjust process variables in order to drive the current reaction trajectory toward the ideal or desired reaction trajectory. In an automated mode a control program can use ACOMP data to make adjustments to process variables to drive the polymerization reaction process toward the desired trajectory as closely as possible either empirically or by solving the governing equations for the polymerization reaction process.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A system comprising:
 a reactor for containing one or more contents of a polymerization reaction process; 
 an extractor configure for automatically and continuously extracting an amount of the one or more contents from the reactor; 
 a dilution apparatus configured for diluting and/or conditioning the one or more extracted contents in a stream; 
 a detector for making measurements of the one or more extracted contents in the stream; and 
 a process controller configured for determining one or more process characteristics of the one or more extracted contents, either continuously or at discrete intervals, from the measurements of the detector, and for directing a change in one or more process control variables to alter a trajectory of the polymerization reaction process to achieve a target trajectory. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the reactor, the extractor, the dilution apparatus, the detector, the process controller, or a combination thereof is incorporated in an automatic continuous online monitoring of polymerization (ACOMP) system. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the process controller uses governing kinetic and associated equations to predict a trajectory of the polymerization reaction process based on a change in the one or more process control variables. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the process controller comprises an interface for active control of the one or more process control variables; the interface comprising:
 one or more actuatable control members, each actuatable control member configured to control one or more process control variables. 
 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a historical database containing a historical trajectory, wherein the process controller uses the historical trajectory from the historical database to determine one or more pre-determined reaction trajectories. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more process variables comprise controlled addition of reagents or chemical components to the reactor either continuously or discretely, a change in temperature, a change in pressure, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the process controller is configured to determine the target trajectory based on a pre-determined reaction process trajectory, polymer molecular weight, intrinsic viscosity, molecular weight distribution, intrinsic viscosity distribution, reduced viscosity distribution, composition distribution, kinetics, conversion of monomers, conversion of co-monomers, co-monomer composition, co-monomer drift, the presence of particulates, or any combination thereof, and
 wherein the process controller is configured to change the one or more process control variables, based on the determined target trajectory, to cause the trajectory of the polymerization reaction process to achieve the target trajectory. 
 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the dilution apparatus is selected from high and low pressure mixing chambers, laminar and turbulent mixers, centrifugal and stirred mixers, and mixers at atmospheric pressure. 
     
     
       9. A method, comprising:
 performing, in a reactor vessel, a polymerization reaction process; 
 continuously extracting, from the reactor vessel, a defined amount per unit of time of contents of a polymerization reaction process using an extractor; 
 diluting and/or conditioning the extracted contents of the polymerization reaction process using a dilution apparatus; 
 measuring, either continuously or at discrete intervals, one or more measured properties of the diluted and/or conditioned extracted contents of the polymerization reaction process using a detector; 
 determining one or more process characteristics of the one or more extracted contents, either continuously or at discrete intervals, from the one or more measured properties, and 
 altering, via a manual or automatic controller, one or more process variables in response to the one or more process characteristics to alter a trajectory of the polymerization reaction process to achieve a target trajectory. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein one or more of the steps are conducted using an ACOMP system. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 , wherein one or more pre-determined reaction trajectories for one or more polymerization reaction process characteristics are followed using active control. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 9 , wherein a historical database, derived from the use of manual or automatic active control of polymerization reaction processes, is used to determine how the one or more process characteristics can be changed by actively altering the one or more process control variables. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 comparing the one or more measured properties to a reference measurement; 
 determining a process variable to alter or move the one or more measured properties of the conditioned sample closer to the reference measurement; and 
 altering the process variable to move the measured properties of the conditioned sample closer to the reference measurement to alter a trajectory of the polymerization reaction process to achieve the target trajectory. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the determining a process variable to alter or move comprises solving a governing kinetic or associated equation. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the determining a process variable to alter or move comprises referencing an historical database to determine how the measured properties can be changed by actively altering process control variables. 
     
     
       16. A device comprising:
 a polymerization reaction vessel configured to contain a content undergoing a reaction that is affected by at least one variable; 
 an extractor configured to continuously sample content from the polymerization reaction vessel; 
 a conditioner configured to condition the continuously sampled content for measurement; 
 a measurement module configured to measure and compute one or more process characteristics of the conditioned continuously sampled content; and 
 a process controller configured to cause a change in one or more process control variables to alter a trajectory of the polymerization reaction process to achieve a target trajectory. 
 
     
     
       17. The device of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 an analysis module configured to compare the measured values to a reference measurement, and determine a process variable to be altered that is expected to move the measured values of the conditioned sample closer to the reference measurement. 
 
     
     
       18. The device of  claim 16 , wherein the process controller is configured to cause the change in the at least one process control variable in response to an output of the analysis module. 
     
     
       19. The device of  claim 16 , wherein the process controller comprises an interface for active control of the one or more process control variables; the interface comprising:
 one or more actuatable control members, each actuatable control member configured to control one or more process control variables. 
 
     
     
       20. The device of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more process variables comprise controlled addition of reagents or chemical components to the reactor either continuously or discretely, a change in temperature, a change in pressure, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
       21. The device of  claim 16 , wherein the target trajectory for the polymerization reaction process is based on a pre-determined reaction process trajectory involving polymer molecular weight, intrinsic viscosity, molecular weight distribution, intrinsic viscosity distribution, reduced viscosity distribution, composition distribution, kinetics, conversion of monomers, conversion of co-monomers, co-monomer composition, co-monomer drift, the presence of particulates, or any combination thereof.